Tour condition: Grade B
Activity: trekking (app. 80 km over 6 days)
ITINERARY
Day 1. Arrival in Moscow. Our English-speaking guide will meet you at the international airport. Transfer to the hotel. Your first night in Moscow. Optional – bus tour “Moscow at night” or pub crawl.
Day 2. Check out from the hotel. After breakfast in the hotel, a bus tour around the city. Our tour guide takes you to the “Sparrow Hills” with an observation platform which provides a fantastic panoramic view of Moscow; then we will go to “Poklonnaya Hills” - the most significant monument constructed in honour of victory in the Great Patriotic War (World War II). Our bus will take you through the main streets of Moscow - huge, busy and elegant at the same time. We will have time to explore the major highlights of Moscow – the city of great Russian history and culture. Transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Irkutsk.
Day 3. Arrival in Irkutsk. Our guide will meet you at the airport. Transfer to Listvyanka - the most famous village on Baikal’s coast (65 km from Irkutsk). After short rest a tour around the village. Lunch in a cafй (at own expense). In the evening we return to our guesthouse to discuss our plans for the next day. Dinner and overnight in a guesthouse.
Day 4. We start our hike after breakfast. A path starts at the edge of the village and goes up to the Primorskyj pass, and then descends to the lake shore. Lunch en route. Pitch camp in forest. Dinner cooked over open fire. Overnight in tents. (Days’ trek 18km.)
Day 5. First of all we will visit an authentic small village, Bolshyje Koty, an ancient Evenks settlement which in the 19th century became one of the most famous places in Siberia for gold-digging. Then we take an attractive walk along the coast, with only one challenging obstacle along the way. At first sight this steep rock, called Scripper, seems insurmountable; but there is a narrow path that avoids the most dangerous places. We carry on to Cape Kadilniy where we finish today’s trek. Overnight in tents. (Day’s trek 20km.)
Day 6. The last day of our hiking adventure. The trail does not present any major difficulties today. We approach the Goloustnaya River valley and the village of Bolshoi Goloustnoye, as one of the first settlements of the Russian explorers. The village was founded in 1673. A small port was later built to provide a safe goods crossing to the other side of Lake Baikal. Outside the village a coach will be waiting for us. Transfer to Irkutsk. Dinner at your own expense. Overnight in hotel.
Day 7. Early morning transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Moscow. It will still be morning when you arrive to Moscow because of the time difference. Transfer from the local airport to the international airport.
Optional: If you take a flight to the UK in the late evening you can enjoy Moscow for one more day. At your request we can organise for you one of the following activities:
- If you are an art-lover then you will be impressed by the world famous masterpieces displayed in the Tretyakov Gallery and in the Pushkin Museum;
- Another option in Moscow would be a visit to the large and interesting Izmailovo Park where you will find traditional wooden houses and churches as well as authentic Russian souvenirs;
- You can also visit the Novodevichy Convent which is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Convent was used by women of the Tsar’s family and of the aristocracy. Many members of the Tsar’s family and some very famous Russian artists, writers, politicians have been buried in its cemetery. The Convent provides an example of the highest accomplishments of Russian architecture with rich interiors and an important collection of paintings and artefacts.
Some places you visit in this journey are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Please click here to view the UNESCO review page:
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